


Unsung Heroes (SYOC)

by Cyberweasel89



Category: Sword Art Online
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fanservice, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Original Character(s), Romance, SYOC, Submit Your OC, Submit Your Original Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 03:33:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9366179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyberweasel89/pseuds/Cyberweasel89
Summary: We all know the story of Kirito, the Black Swordsman, the young man who Cleared Sword Art Online. But what of the other 9,999 players of the world's first VRMMORPG? We all know of what happened to Asuna, Klein, Lisbeth, and Silica. But what of the other players? What of these unsung heroes?We can't look at all of them, but let's look at a particular guild in Aincrad. One founded on the principle of turning away players no other guild would take. A guild called Vagabond's Lantern.A SYOC (Submit Your OCs) fanfic.





	1. Guidelines

Prior to official launch, the Sword Art Online Closed Beta was available to 1,000 beta testers for a one month period from August to September, 2022. During that period, Sword Art Online was lauded as an incredible experience. It received extremely positive reviews despite the actual difficulty of the game; over the one month period, the Beta Testers had only reached the 10th Floor. After the Closed Beta Testing ended, the Beta Testers were given the opportunity to pre-order the game.  
  
Only 10,000 copies were printed in the first batch of the game and online sales sold out within seconds. Hardcore gamers waited in line for days to purchase the first few hard copies from many stores.  
  
Sword Art Online officially started server service at 1 PM of November 6, 2022. It obtained infamy when the creator succeeded in trapping 10,000 people in the game, making it so that death in-game would mean actual death for the player. During the two-year period the game remained active, Sword Art Online evolved into an innovative yet complex society of individuals with mixed feelings about the possibility of clearing the game.  
  
Psychologically, many players experienced extreme despair, grief, insanity, and sadness during the course of the death game. Of the total 3,853 deaths, over half occurred in the first month of SAO. Combined with lethal dungeon traps and bosses, Player Killing (PKing), crime, suicides, a slowly dwindling population, and increasing difficulty on the higher floors, the prospects generally looked very bleak.  
  
The game was prematurely ended on the 75th floor (as opposed to the intended 100th floor), after The Black Swordsman defeated the final boss, Heathcliff, who was revealed to be Kayaba Akihibo himself, in a duel. A total of 6,147 survivors were logged out from it at 2:55 PM (Aincrad Standard Time) of November 7, 2024.  
  
After the SAO incident, its servers were used by RECT Progress Inc. to create ALfheim Online as the current successor of the VRMMORPG online game.  
  
Obviously, The Black Swordsman is the star of the show, being the one to officially clear Sword Art Online. But what about the other 9,999 players? What of the 3,853 deaths and 6,147 survivors besides The Black Swordsman? What of the players who only peripherally encountered The Black Swordsman or never met him at all? What of the other players who survived and thrived in the death game that was Sword Art Online?  
  
Let us join the death game of Sword Art Online on June of 2024, one and a half years after the cursed game began and six months before it ended. Laughing coffin has been around for five months, the Front Line is at the 62nd Floor, and Kirito is about to journey off with Lisbeth to forge his Dark Repulser. But let us instead focus on the players whose stories were not told to many. Let us instead focus on the tales of these...  
  
Unsung heroes.

* * *

Headquartered in the main city of the 50th Floor of Aincrad, Algade, Vagabond's Lantern is one of many guilds in Sword Art Online. Only medium size at about 50 players, you would expect a guild run by a player with a Unique Skill to be popular. But as many players looking for a tough group to join find out, the guildmaster is not what one would expect.

Despite having a Unique Skill, perpetual frown, and a rather intense air about him to match, Pluto is a surprisingly nice guy. Often described as "the chill of winter with a warm center," he takes in players that no other guild will accept or were left to die out in Aincrad. He gives them food, a place to live, and a purpose. He may be pretty intimidating at first but beneath his constant frown and glare, Pluto is a rather nurturing guy with a love of children and animals, particularly cats.

Pluto tends to do a lot of the grunt work around his guild's base, known as the "Lantern Guildhall" including cleaning, cooking, and even sewing for them all. He has a tendency to wake up very early to cook a huge breakfast for everyone, helps gain funds for his guild with odd jobs around Algade, and even packs his players homemade lunches before they head out to other floors. People outside of his guild tend to call him the "Mr. Mom Guildmaster" due to his tendency to go grocery shopping in an apron and bandana. In truth, most of the members of his guild view him as a father figure. You join Vagabond's Lantern, you quickly get in the habit of calling him paternal terms like Father, Dad, Pops, etc.

Pluto has a reason to keep his guild small. With his Unique Skill, most of the red guilds won't mess with members of Vagabond's Lantern, so he's careful of leeches. Luckily he's an excellent judge of character and tries to only recruit players who genuinely deserve his help and protection. He can't be everywhere at once though, so he often encourages his players to Party up whenever possible.

You are a player who is a member of Vagabond's Lantern. You joined because you had nowhere else to go and Pluto saw something in you. Your Level is between 70-79 and you are trying to survive in a cursed death game. it's up to you to find your place in this world. So long as you're in Vagabond's Lantern, you have something more than just friends and allies. You have a family.

* * *

Overview

This is a submit-your-OCs fanfic for Sword Art Online. It'll focus on a single party of six within Vagabond's Lantern, a guild for the downtrodden, outcasts, and misfits with nowhere else to go but a potential for being a part of a family that Pluto sees in them.

Characters will be Level 70-79 so you can have 10 Skill Slots. This'll allow varied builds. You can be a lower Level, but that'd mean less Skill Slots. Builds should be varied. SAO has skills that allow for tank builds (Howl, Fighting Spirit, Spiritual Light, Lightweight Shield Equipment, Heavy Shield Equipment), thief builds (Wild Dance, One-Handed Dagger, Picking, Trap Dismantling, Straining), sniper builds (Blade Throwing, Searching, Straining, Hiding), and even monk builds (Martial Arts, Meditation). Don't worry about a crafter or vendor build like Agil or Lisbeth. Vagabond's Lantern has players that act as in-house vendors and crafters.

* * *

Higher-Ups of Vagabond's Lantern

**Pluto**

Pluto is the guildmaster and founder of Vagabond's Lantern. While he possesses a cruel-looking face with a perpetual frown and sharp edge about him, Pluto is a man with a warm, nurturing exterior and is an excellent judge of character. His Unique Skill means the red guilds like Laughing Coffin won't mess with anyone who's username has the lantern icon next to it but he's rather hush-hush about what his Unique Skill actually is. Pluto has opened the Lantern Guildhall's first floor as a public tavern to earn extra funds for the guild and in fact cooks all the food himself with his Cooking Skill. He also has the Tailoring Skill to mend his guild members' clothing. While a man of few words, he often gives his guild members fatherly advice. He truly considers his guild members his children and many refer to him with fatherly terms like "dad," "pops," or "old man."

**Flora**

Flora is the captain of Vagabond's Lantern. Possessing a latin complexion and a curvy figure shown liberally through her revealing leather armor, Flora is a DPS build who wilds a Two-Handed Staff. She is Pluto's in-game wife and while the pair met in Sword Art Online, they are very much in love. Whereas Pluto is a father to the members of Vagabond's Lantern, Flora is the guild members' mother figure. She's more prone to tough love than Pluto's gentle words of advice but is also fond of teasing and pranking the members of her guild. Like Pluto, she doesn't object to being referred to with parental nicknames.

**Morn Rower**

Morn Rower is the lieutenant of Vagabond's Lantern, though not that most of the members would know. He's never around. Flora, Pluto, and the deputies say that he's often out taking care of odd jobs for the guild. He stops by on occasion to drop off rare items for the other members of the guild but guild members are always told they "just missed him." His room is constantly locked and the table in the corner is "his table," with no members of the guild allowed to sit at it. He's supposedly a rapier-wielder with Picking and Trap Dismantling in his Skill slots, though he's apparently not a thief build but a "gentleman thief build." The deputies say he's quite the charmer and knows just the right things to say, as well as being fond of fine wine and women but never getting drunk or womanizing. He's quite the mystery, but... maybe he prefers to keep it that way?

**Cloud**

Cloud is the in-house blacksmith of Vagabond's Lantern and a deputy of the guild. A short, petite man in his 30s with glasses, Cloud has high levels in Slash Weapon Forging, Thrust Weapon Forging, Blunt Weapon Forging, Heavy Metal Armor Forging, Light Metal Armor Forging, Metal Equipment Repairing, and even Metal Refining. He's happy to repair his guildmates' equipment and even forge them new weapons and armor... for a price. He has to stay supplied, after all. Cloud is a kind, gentle soul and enjoys writing poetry in his off time. He's the real-life wife to Rain and the real-life father to Sunny. They bought the game together as a family activity. In battle, he wields a Two-Handed Battle Axe and wears light metal armor.

**Rain**

Rain is the in-house apothecary of Vagabond's Lantern and a deputy of the guild. With high levels in Drug Mixing, she makes potions and poisons for Vagabond's Lantern for a price. A large, cantankerous woman, Rain is prone to dishing out tough love and bellowing in a loud voice. Even her real-life husband Cloud can't settle her unstoppable rage. She's still a loving, sweet, and gentle mother to Sunny, though. She fights with a One-Handed Mace, Heavy Shield, and heavy armor.

**Sunny**

The flower of Vagabond's Lantern, Sunny is the real-life daughter of Cloud and Rain. They bought the game together to play as a family activity but their family fun was ruined when Kayaba Akihiko began the death game. Sunny is still a very low Level, as her parents have kept her out of any major battles, but she claims she's pretty good with a One-Handed Dagger. Though only eight years old, she's a very bright and cheerful little girl, full of energy. She usually helps out "Uncle Pluto" with cleaning the guild and also helps him cook in the kitchen and even acts as a waitress. She really keeps spirits up around the Lantern Guildhall with her childlike innocence.

**Pinklord**

Pinklord is the in-house tailor of Vagabond's Lantern and a deputy of the guild, with high levels in Tailoring. He's happy to craft, mend, and Enhance clothing and leather armor for the guild members for a price. Though a large, hairy man, Pinklord is very exuberant and even a tad effeminate. He's obsessed with the color pink and often suggests the guild members incorporate it into their outfits. Luckily he doesn't take liberties with including pink in his custom orders. He fights with Wild Dance and light armor.

**Touch Me**

Touch Me is the in-house carpenter of Vagabond's Lantern and one of its deputies, with high levels in Carpentry. It's him who built the guildhall and its furniture and he also keeps it all in working order by repairing it. He seems to be albino and rarely speaks, preferring to kick back in a chair and sleep most of the time. When awake he's a bit of a troll but he's a good-natured one. He fights with a Two-Handed Assault Spear and leather armor. He tends to get slapped a lot for his username, which was apparently chosen because he lost a bet with a friend before getting the game.

**Xer0**

Xer0 is the in-house merchant of Vagabond's Lantern. She has Extended Weight Limit, Purchase Negotiation, Sales Negotiation, Equipment Appraisal, and Tools Appraisal. Most of the members of Vagabond's Lantern hock their goods and buy supplies from her. Xer0 is a very short and petite girl with glasses and is surprisingly not Japanese, but Arab. She's rather stoic and antisocial, preferring to read books when not dealing with customers. She fights with a One-Handed Axe, Heavy Shield, and heavy armor.

**Goldman**

Goldman is the in-house bartender, head chef, and one of the deputies of Vagabond's Lantern. His Cooking Skill is near-Complete and he can make some of the best drinks you'll ever taste in SAO. Sauve, sophisticated, but with a sarcastic side, he dresses like a butler. Goldman is one of the few players who is not Japaneses along with Agil, Flora, and Xer0. In Goldman's case, he's British and white with the blonde hair and accent to prove it, but is also notably Jewish. He mentions that his username isn't all that creative since it's really just his real-life surname. Goldman is also notably a transman. While everyone was reverted to their real-life appearances, the NerveGear actually determines gender by brain patterns. As a result, Goldman is one of the few players who got to play as his chosen gender. Like any bartender, customers both in and out of the guild tend to dump their troubles on him, which he's happy to listen to and give sound, if snarky, advice. In battle he wields a One-Handed Curved Sword, Lightweight Shield, and light armor.

**Hero's Shade**

While not many elderly people bought and played Sword Art Online, some did. Most of the ones who did stuck to the lower floors or never left Starting City. Hero's Shade however is a 68-year-old veteran of the Iraq War with several awards for his service for his country. He claims he didn't want to sit around waiting to be saved, so he set out and later became one of the strongest players in the game. He's one of Vagabond's Lantern's deputies and claims he'd trust Pluto like he'd trust any member of his old squad. Hero's Shade is one of only five players to have gained the Extra Skill "Katana" from training "One-Handed Curved Sword" enough. Unlike Klein, he wields his with a Lightweight Shield and heavy armor. It's him who often mentors new recruits to Vagabond's Lantern in how things work around the guild. When not doing that, he's either out fishing or sitting at the bar, drinking shot after shot of alcohol. He's notably a Beast Tamer. His Red-Eyed Black Wolf is rarely not by his side or curled up at his legs. The Shade apparently named her Black Hayate.

* * *

Skills

Most of the knowledge of SAO lore you need is on the Wiki. The exception is the Skills, so I'll detail them here. Remember, assuming you're Level 70-79, you have ten Skill Slots. Skills grow as you use them, going from 0 to 1,000, where they're considered Complete. You can't just swap out Skills on the fly. The second you remove one Skill, you lose all progress in it.

**Weapon Skills**

-One-Handed Straight Sword: Determines effectiveness with longswords, double-edged swords, and other straight swords.

-One-Handed Curved Sword: Determines effectiveness with sabres, scimitars, and other curved swords.

-One-Handed Rapier: Determines effectiveness with rapiers.

-One-Handed Dagger: Determines effectiveness with knives, daggers, shivs, and shortswords.

-One-Handed Axe: Determines effectiveness with hatchets, war axes, and other one-handed axes.

-One-Handed Mace: Determines effectiveness with hammers and maces.

-Two-Handed Straight Sword: Determines effectiveness with greatswords, bastard swords, buster swords, and other two-handed straight swords.

-Two-Handed Assault Spear: Determines effectiveness with spears and halberds.

-Two-Handed Battle Axe: Determines effectiveness with battle axes, greataxes, and other two-handed axes.

-Two-Handed Staff: Determines effectiveness with bo staffs and quarterstaffs.

-Wild Dance: Determines effectiveness with claws.

-Blade Throwing: Determines effectiveness with throwing weapons.

-Katana: Extra Skill. Obtained randomly from using One-Handed Curved Swords enough. Determines effectiveness with katana. Only five people in the game have it, including Klein and Hero's Shade.

-Martial Arts: Extra Skill. Obtained from a 2nd Floor Quest. Allows you to use Sword Skills unarmed.

**Armor Skills**

-Light Metal Equipment: Determines effectiveness with wearing light armor.

-Heavy Metal Equipment: Determines effectiveness with wearing heavy armor.

-Leather Equipment: Determines effectiveness with wearing leather armor.

-Lightweight Shield Equipment: Determines effectiveness with using bucklers, targes, and other small shields.

-Heavy Shield Equipment: Determines effectiveness with greatshields, tower shields, and other large shields.

**Combat Skills**

-Parry: Allows the player to deflect enemy Sword Skills with their own Sword Skills.

 

-Howl: A loud shout that draws enemy Hate to the player.

-Fighting Spirit: Increases ally HP regen rate and combat power, but draws enemy Hate to the player.

-Spiritual Light: Uses the reflective metal surface of the player's weapon, shield, or armor to create a brief flash of light that blinds all enemies for three seconds, but draws enemy Hate to the player.

-Battle Healing: Increases HP regeneration rate.

-First Aid: Causes a huge burst of healing when HP enters the red once per day.

-Meditation: Extra Skill. Obtained from a 6th Floor Quest. Causes burst of HP recovery and healing of status conditions after setting into a concentration pose.

**Support Skills**

-Searching: Increases player's detection range. Allows the player to zoom in on distant targets, detect enemies, see through Hiding, see in the dark, and track friends.

-Straining: Increases player's hearing range and allows eavesdropping, even through player-owned locked doors.

-Hiding: Allows player to blend into their surroundings. Only works on enemies that rely on vision to sense targets.

-Acrobatics: Increases jumping height and the effectiveness of aerial maneuvers. The base jumping height is the natural jumping height of the player.

-Sprint: Increases running speed and the effectiveness of dashing. The base running speed is the natural running speed of the player.

-Swimming: Increases swimming speed and the effectiveness of diving. The base swimming speed is the natural swimming speed of the player.

-Extended Weight Limit: Increases inventory space.

-Purchase Negotiation: Decreases prices when buying items and equipment. Also decreases prices when buying furniture for your house.

-Sales Negotiation: Increases prices when selling items and equipment.

**Crafting Skills**

-Slash Weapon Forging: Allows the player to create and Enhance slashing weapons.

-Thrust Weapon Forging: Allows the player to create and Enhance thrusting weapons.

-Blunt Weapon Forging: Allows the player to create and Enhance blunt weapons.

-Light Metal Armor Forging: Allows the player to create and Enhance light metal armor and lightweight shields.

-Heavy Metal Armor Forging: Allows the player to create and Enhance heavy metal armor and heavy shields.

-Tailoring: Allows the player to create, Enhance, and repair clothing and leather armor.

-Carpentry: Allows the crafting of furniture, houses, and wooden carvings.

-Drug Mixing: Allows the crafting of potions and poisons.

-Cooking: Allows the crafting of food, drinks, and condiments.

**Other Skills**

-Familiar Communication: Increases ability of a Beast Tamer to command their familiar.

-Familiar Recovery: Increases effectiveness of a familiar's ability to heal its Beast Tamer.

-Metal Refining: Allows the player to refine raw ore into ingots.

-Metal Equipment Repairing: Allows the player to repair metal weapons and armor.

-Equipment Appraisal: Allows the in-depth examining of weapons and armor.

-Tool Appraisal: Allows the in-depth examining of items.

-Picking: Allows the picking of locked doors and containers. Doors and containers owned by players cannot be picked.

-Trap Dismantling: Allows the detection and disabling of traps.

-Musical Instrument: Allows the player to play an instrument for NPCs to earn money. At Complete, the player can use their instrument to make enemies briefly fall asleep.

-Fishing: A leisure Skill that allows the player to fish. Caught fish can be sold, cooked, or used as ingredients for Drug Mixing, but treasure may sometimes be hauled up with the fish.

* * *

Profile Layout

Submit profiles in Comments or to me via email. Like all AO3 users, you can find my email on my profiles. Complete it to the best of your ability, but show some effort. If you're just doing this to get a character in something and don't care about the actual work, please look elsewhere. Note that there are only six slots for submitted characters. Don't worry about bolding or anything. I'll do that.

**Name:** Your character's username within SAO. It should sound and look like a username a person would use and your character would choose upon purchasing the game.

**Sex:** Your character's biological sex and gender identity. Of note is that the NerveGear determines the player's gender by brain patterns, so trans players are more likely to be able to play as their chosen gender.

**Age:** How old your character is.

**Race:** Your character's ethnicity. Will likely be Japanese unless they somehow were in Japan when the game was released and managed to get a copy.

**Sexuality:** Your character's sexual preference. Will determine ships.

 

**Personality:** Your character's personality. Be detailed, but give me room for error. Include strengths, flaws, likes, dislikes, fears, etc.

**Appearance:** Describe the character. Be detailed. I need to be able to picture this character and describe them. Things like skin tone, eye color, hair color, hairstyle, body shape, breast size, facial hair, markings and scars, etc.

**History:** Your character's backstory. Be detailed, but give me enough leeway to work my own twist into things so they fit the flow of the story. Include their life before playing SAO and how their experience has been in the last year and a half of playing it. If they're a beta, this is where you would mention it.

**Level:** Their Level. Should be between 70-79, no higher. Can be lower, but then you'd have less Skill Slots.

**Stat Build:** The only two true stats in SAO are Strength and Agility. Strength is physical power, lifting strength, and attack force. Agility is precision, dexterity, and skill. Each Level, you get three points to distribute between the two. Say whether they're a Strength build, Agility build, or a balance of the two. As notable examples, Kirito is a Strength build while Asuna is an Agility build.

**Skill Build:** Say what build they have through their Skills. This is the closest thing SAO has to Classes. Things like tank builds, thief builds, sniper builds, monk builds, and DPS builds are possible. You can make a crafter or vendor build, but note that Vagabond's Lantern has in-house crafters and vendors.

**Skills:** List your character's Skills. At level 70-79, they should have 10. At least one Skill should be a Weapon Skill and at least one should be an Armor Skill, unless you're suicidal.

**Equipment:** Describe your character's weapons, armor, clothing (worn under armor), accessories, and outfits for various situations. Also, any items they usually carry on their person, like potions, poisons, or crystals. If they're a Beast Tamer, list their familiar.

**Relationships:** List the characters that have been accepted as well as the leaders of Vagabond's Lantern listed above and how they would interact. Don't be afraid to collaborate with your fellow writers.

**Notes:** Trivia and anything else you'd like to mention.

* * *

 

Other Info

Any questions, ask them via email or Comment. I can clarify anything you don't know about SAO lore that you can't find on the Wiki.

Note that if you submit your profile via anonymous comment, I cannot accept it because you won't be available to discuss it with. I can't contact you if you don't have an account or leave some reliable method for me to do so.

The next chapter will be for accepted profiles. You'll see my own submission there soon as an example.

Just remember, show some effort. If it looks like you just threw the profile together without caring, how can I accept it?


	2. Accepted Profiles

Accepted Profiles

* * *

_Created by Cyberweasel89_

**Name:** Espada

**Sex:** Female

**Age:** 15

**Race:** Hispanic

**Sexuality:** Pansexual

**Personality:** Having grown up with nerdy interests and a chubby physique, Espada is a shy geek with body image issues. Meek and timid, Espada is softspoken and rarely speaks her mind. She's introverted and feels very uncomfortable talking with other people. Stricken with doubts about her self-worth and a lack of any self-esteem, Espada often givens up before she's even begun. But her soft, gentle eyes belie an unbreakable will. Espada is compassionate and kind when she actually works up the courage to speak up. No many how tough things get, she refuses to cry and knows when to step up and get things done. While unconfident and cautious by nature, she can be rather affectionate to those who've earned her trust.

**Appearance:** Espada stands at a meager 4'9" (145cm) tall and weighs 99lbs (45kg). She is short and petite, though possesses a bit of definite chubbiness around her middle and thighs. Her hair is jet black and wavy, coming down to her shoulder blacks and hanging in front of her face to partially hide it. Her eyes are amber-colored while her skin is a mocha color, showing her Latina heritage. Espada is best described as an "oppai loli," as her breasts are disproportionately large compared to her body size. She's a 30DDD/F-cup and she tries everything she can to downplay her assets. She wears round, thick glasses in real life and continues to do so in SAO as an in-game accessory.

**History:** Rosalina is the middle of five children. Her parents and four grandparents run a restaurant in Mexico called the "High and Lopez Eatery," a family-run restaurant where Rosalina worked as a waitress for most of her childhood. Being an anime and JRPG nerd, Rosalina Lopez jumped at the chance to travel abroad to Japan as an exchange student from her home country of Mexico. She learned Japanese for it too. When she arrived, she found a rather xenophobic culture that found her skin color weird. Still, Rosalina tried to make the most of it but was surprised just how much "different" was considered a bad thing among Japan's schoolgirls. While she missed out on the closed beta of Sword Art Online, she saved up enough and stood in line next to a bandana-wearing boy and his friends just to buy one of the first hard copies in stores. She made her username Espada, Spanish for "sword," and designed her avatar to be everything she wasn't. Tall, beautiful, flat-chested. Then Kayaba Akihiko turned SAO into a death game and reverted everyone's avatar's to their real-life appearances.

Rosalina, now Espada, spent the first month of gameplay mulling about in Starting City, afraid to venture out. She eventually realized that she couldn't spent the entire time moping and cautiously ventured out into the world. Espada played it safe, grinding on weaker mob but going it solo at first due to her social anxiety. It was this cautious nature that caused her to meet Squeaker and become a Beast Tamer, as she noticed the Tiny Batty wasn't attacking, so she fed it an apple slice she was eating.

She slowly worked her way up the floors, occasionally partnering with some Parties for added safety until she got used to the layout of a new floor. She found most parties were more interested in using her as a mascot due to her Tamed Beast and oppai loli physique. It wasn't until about three months ago that Espada got caught in an Anti-Crystal trap in a dungeon on the 55th floor. She was rescued by Hero's Shade, who took her to the Lantern Guildhall. After a brief chat with the intimidating Pluto, she was invited to join Vagabond's Lantern. She reluctantly accepted and hasn't regretted it once... maybe. These are pretty noisy people, after all.

**Level:** 70

**Stat Build:** Espada is a straight-up Agility build.

**Skill Build:** Beast Tamer

**Skills:**  
-One-Handed Curved Sword: 764/1000  
-Lightweight Shield Equipment: 701/1000  
-Light Metal Equipment: 689/1000  
-Battle Healing: 552/1000  
-Acrobatics: 975/1000  
-Swimming 213/1000  
-Purchase Negotiation: 347/1000  
-Extended Weight Limit: 475/1000  
-Familiar Communication: 969/1000  
-Familiar Recovery: 847/1000

**Equipment:**   
-Main Weapon: Windshear, a scimitar. Has increased knockback effect and has been Enhanced to +15 by Cloud.  
-Offhand Weapon: Avenger's Sabre. Increased damage to orange players. Has been Enhanced to +10 by Cloud.  
-Shield: Bladeward Buckler. Double defense against slashing weapons. Enhanced to +5 by Cloud.  
-Chest: Heartguard Cuirass. Light armor. Poison resistance +10%. Enhanced to +5 by Cloud.  
-Head: Scholar's Specs. Glasses. Blindness Immunity.  
-Hands: Handling Gloves. +10 Familiar Communication.  
-Feet: Performer's Boots. +5 Acrobatics.  
-Necklace: Synergy Pendant. +10 Familiar Recovery.  
-Charm: Travel Charm. Poison Resistance +25%, Paralysis Resistance +10%.  
-Ring 1: Deft Hands Ring. +5 Agility.  
-Ring 2: Mermaid Ring. +20 Swimming.  
-Clothing: Under her cuirass, Espada wears a simple tunic and skirt down to her knees. When relaxing around the Lantern Guildhall and Algade, she will wear sun dresses and halter dresses alongside sandles. While her tunic and skirt are beige and brown respectively, she prefers casual clothes in the color white.  
-Familiar: As a Beast Tamer, Espada has a familiar in the form of a Tiny Batty, a bat-like monster with glowing red eyes. She's named him Squeaker and the food she must often feed him is apple slices.

**Relationships:**   
-Pluto: Espada found Pluto very intimidating at first. After she got to know him though, she realized he was just a big softy under his cold, rough exterior. She calls him Padre, Spanish for "father."  
-Flora: Admittedly, Espada finds Flora even more intimidating than Pluto. While she does keep some of the customers from hitting on her, she tends to do it rather violently. She also tends to tease Espada and grope her chest from behind, telling her she should be proud of her assets and flaunt what she's got.  
-Morn Rower: Espada has never actually met Morn Rower, but hopes to someday. He's dropped off some of her best equipment with instructions they be given to her, specifically. he does that with a lot of the guild members, apparently.  
-Cloud: Cloud has forged and Enhanced most of Espada's throwing blades. She finds him companionable and enjoys reading his poetry.  
-Rain: Espada actually doesn't find Rain all that scary. She likes to watch her make potions and poisons since she finds in-game crafting process fascinating.   
-Sunny: Espada loves Sunny. She considers her childlike innocence and youthful energy something the world needs more of.  
-Pinklord: As a leather armor user, Espada sees him often for repairs and Enhancing to her armor. Like Flora, he tends to suggest she wear something more revealing, but he's not as pushy about it. All the casual dresses she wears were made by Pinklord.  
-Touch Me: Espada sometimes tries to talk to Touch Me between his naps, but... his trolling often gets to her. He tends to make sexual comments just to embarrass her for his amusement.  
-Xer0: Espada goes to Xer0 for supplies and to sell her wares, but as Xer0 is quite antisocial and Espada is very introverted, the two don't talk much.  
-Goldman: Espada often goes to Goldman for a drink and some friendly social advice. While a bit sarcastic at times, the British transman does offer good advice.  
-Hero's Shade: As the man who rescued Espada and recruited her to join the guild, Espada deeply respects him and views him as a bit of a grandfather figure. She even called him Abuelo, Spanish for "grandfather." Hero's Shade has also taken it upon himself to tutor Espada in the various subtleties of SAO and how to properly utilize all the Blade Throwing Sword Skills.

**Notes:**  
-Espada's real name is Rosalina Lopez.

-Espada is a natural lefty.

-Espada's favorite foods are ramen and pizza.

-Espada's hobby is shopping, though she stays within her budget.

-She normally just has Goldman make her some chocolate milk or hot cocoa. But if stressed enough, she'll take Goldman up on his offers of some alcohol. You can't actually get drunk in SAO, but you can get a nice, tipsy buzz going.

-When alone and lonely or sad, she often talks to Squeaker.

-Espada is actually a very good cook in real life, but doesn't have the Skill needed to do so in SAO.

-Espada is a big time otaku and gamer in real life.

-Espada is one of the few players to even bother with the "Swimming" Skill. She even has a white swimsuit made by Pinklord. Much to her embarrassment, it's a bikini on Flora's insistance. Pinklord said his hands are tied when it comes to the Captain.

* * *

_Submitted by Wandering Letters_

**Name:** Humble Ryujin

**Sex:** Male

**Age:** 19

**Race:** Japanese

**Sexuality:** Heterosexual.

**Personality:**

Ryu is a quiet person, often the person to speak up when logic or reasoning is needed to make a decision. Due to his solitary lifestyle, he has no problems in being the lone wolf when playing SAO and has in fact, done a lot of what he's accomplished on his own. As a result of his lifestyle, Ryu tries to be as self-sufficient as he can, rarely ever asking for help from others unless he truly needs it.

That being said, he's a pretty nice guy when he's working with a group. He always does as he is required and he often willingly gives up loot to lower level players when he has no pressing need of it. He also does not consider himself a good player, though his measured DPS in dungeons indicates that he's actually quite adept at it. It's mainly because of this that he earned his moniker of "Humble Ryujin", due to him never once putting himself before others.

When not fighting monsters or participating in raids, Ryu actually allows himself to get lost in the simple things of the game, such as fishing and cooking. He actually enjoys cooking greatly, both in real life and in the game, which is why he's often at his house making something good. He has learned the value of patience through his dedication of mastering the fishing skill. Finally, he plays an ocarina in real life, which is why he does so in the game as well. Needless to say, he's pretty good with it.

Due to not having too much physical interaction with others, Ryu gets nervous around pretty women, though his unwavering kindness doesn't disappear. In fact, it sometimes overwrites his nervous mind. He could be nervous around a woman but if she asks him to cook something for her, it's as if his mind completely ignores the fact that she's attractive as he happily fulfills her request. A running gag between his friends is that he's the true definition of an otaku and as a result, they think he needs a waifu to be complete.

**Appearance:**

Stands at 5' 8" and weighs 135lbs. Has spiky black hair with several bangs hanging over his eyes. Has deep red eyes and looks clearly of Japanese descent. Is relatively toned, though nothing too special from the average joe. Has skin about a shade or two lighter than cream. Tends to alternate between a completely clean shaven look to very light stubble that looks almost like 5'o'clock shadow.

**History:**

Originally just calling himself Ryujin in the cyberverse, he was eventually convinced to change his identity to Humble Ryujin by his friends because of how helpful he is to other players in any game he plays. As a result of this, he began to go by Ryu instead of the name in its entirety, though it doesn't stop his friends from teasing him. He was mostly the shut in type of person, spending most of his time in front of a computer screen from an early age. He excelled at school, especially in IT and English and graduated high school with honors. He then went to Osaka to pursue a Master's degree in Information Technology, where he successfully completed two years of it. It was around this time that his friends told him about a game called Sword Art Online. Considering that he's a big fan of MMORPG type games, he snagged himself a copy but opted out of the beta due to his attempts to reduce his workload at school.

After the stranding, which resulted in the deaths of multiple people, Ryu was a little hesitant to jump headfirst into it because...you know, dying means actual death. However, because he was such a quick learner and diligent worker, he ended up forcing himself to excel and stay alive. Giving into what his friends kept urging him to do before it all started, he got into SAO and fell in love with the game despite its huge risks. He managed to survive rather well and never once tried to fight another player in fear of accidentally killing them or getting killed himself. He didn't join a guild or anything of the sort, instead opting for a solo experience unless his friends were nearby, in which case he would join them for dungeons or PvP duels. Due to his style of play, his friends began to call him a "Dex Fag" due to his preference of using speed and finesse to win fights instead of raw strength. To prevent his friends from annoying him, he began to add strength to his build, though he still primarily focused on agility. His style of play has helped him stay alive and yet somehow, he managed to be enough at ease to pick up hobbies in game.

His lifestyle in game soon began to resemble a swift assassin who indulges quite heavily in the finer parts of the game, such as cooking and fishing. His current goal is to finally join a guild, as he knows that there isn't too much more he can do on his own. After a year and a half of playing, he decided it was finally time for him to experience the MMO part of this epic RPG.

**Level:** 75

**Stat Build:** Agility Focused. Only put in a few points into strength in order to prevent himself from being a "Dex Fag" in the eyes of his friends.

**Skill Build:** Rogue/Assassin

**Skills:**

One-Handed Dagger: 598/1000  
Blade Throwing: 487/1000  
Martial Arts: 343/1000  
Leather Equipment: 550/1000  
Sprint: 707/1000  
Acrobatics: 712/1000  
Hiding: 802/1000  
Cooking: 677/1000  
Fishing: 650/1000  
Musical Instrument: 689/1000

**Equipment:**

When going out into the world, Ryu wears black leather armor that covers just about every inch of his skin minus his face, neck and fingers. The armor looks a lot like a ninja's usual garb, except that he has added a red cloak around his neck that bears the Japanese symbol of Dragon on it. Ryu also wears modified boots, which are customized to reduce the sound he makes when moving. He also carries a satchel attached to his belt, which he uses to exclusively hold all of his kunai for throwing. Finally, he also has a mask that he can drag up to cover his face if he wishes to. He normally only does this when he's in dungeons, to make it easier to hide with less of his skin exposed.

When not fighting or chilling in dungeons, Ryu wears the bottom half of his armor, but removes the top half in favor of a long sleeved black shirt. Removing the top half also reveals a necklace that he earned from a dungeon. Sometimes, he'll remove the armor and replace it with some blue trousers, but that's rare considering that he doesn't spend a lot of his nights at his home.

His primary weapon is a dagger which he earned from a group quest. The dagger's name is Shadowfang and he's stuck with this dagger due to how much he likes its model. It's a bit longer than the standard dagger and it has a distinctly sharp tip which makes it perfect for swift stabs. The dagger gets its name from the elite NPC that drops it, named Uru The Relentless Hunter. It is his favorite weapon since he got it at level 72 and he constantly works to enhance it. So far, he's managed to make it to +6 and he was lucky enough to get the version of Shadowfang that prioritizes Sharpness, Quickness and Durability, the three stats he cares about most in a weapon. It is his current goal to get the dagger to +10 before he decides to seek another one.

**Relationships:**

Pluto

The leader of Vagabond's Lantern is an impressive, yet terrifying individual due to his scary face. However, he deeply respects Pluto due to his great skill in cooking as well as his fatherly instincts. He looks up to Pluto as an example of a true leader. He has visited the tavern several times in the past, but never got to actually meet the big man in charge. Nevertheless, Ryu is more than aware of the man's reputation and as such, approaches him with respect despite not being part of the guild. Ryu wouldn't ever call Pluto by a fatherly nickname apart from perhaps "old-man", provided Pluto doesn't mind it. Else, his name will suffice everytime.

Flora

The mother figure of Vagabond's Lantern is a source of both warmth as well as irritation for Ryu. He has seen her tease many of the members of the guild while sitting around a table and having a drink and knows that if he joined, he too would be victim to that. Still, he respects her just as much as he does Pluto and is aware of them being a couple in-game as well as their intentions to meet in real life. He would likely go to her for advice about being around others, seeing as he doesn't have all that much experience with that.

Morn Rower

Is aware of his womanizing tendencies, but doesn't know enough about the man to really make any judgements. If he truly is that much of a womanizer, Ryu probably wouldn't hang around him much unless he truly has to as he finds the habit sickening.

Cloud

Ryu has visited Cloud in the past to see what he has available for sale though he hasn't really bought much apart from some armor for one of his friends. In the brief time they speak, Cloud teased him by always referring to him light-heartedly as "Strangah". It's a joke that both of them enjoy.

Rain

Her rage is all but famous around the guildhouse and Ryu has been there enough to be aware of it. Though he hasn't interacted too much with her, he likes how sweet of a mother she is to Sunny. He also respects her skill in Drug Mixing, sometimes even contemplating asking her to brew him a few things for the field but never quite getting around to asking for it.

Sunny

The child that runs around the guildhouse, tending to customers and maintaining the happiness about the place is someone Ryu thoroughly enjoys seeing. She is the one who serves him most times when he comes into the tavern. He's gone there enough for Sunny to know his usual, which is a bottle of cold sake and a salmon sandwich. He often times brings in the salmon he catches out in the field and gives it to her for Pluto to cook with. He sees her as a little bundle of joy and is especially kind to her whenever she asks him to tell her about his adventures.

Pinklord

Indifferent about his fascination for the color pink, Ryu has contemplated more than once on seeking his assistance with his armor. However, due to not finding a particular outfit he likes enough yet, he's avoided much contact with the extravagant tailor. Still, he respects his skills and knows that he would likely go to him for help with enhancing his armor should he ever find the outfit he's looking for. Pinklord does note that the red cloak that Ryu has looks "very traditional, in a elegant way".

Touch Me

Despite being slightly confused at his name, Ryu has come to him several times for quotes on furniture for his house. He finds it amusing that such a hard working carpenter is normally seen sleeping. He likes his work and wants to do business with him one day when he finally gets around to getting that double bed...

Xer0

Has a very similar relationship to Cloud, only that she amusingly refers to Ryu as "mate" instead of "strangah". Ryu is one of the very few exceptions to her anti-social rule, simply because she gets such a kick out of calling him in a similar mannerism as Cloud.

Goldman

The bartender and Ryu have a relatively long history as he used to pop in at the counter for drinks at one point. Now that he sits at the table, Goldman always has his usual prepared for his arrival. He gets along will with Goldman and every now and again, Goldman will tease him by calling him "strangah" and "mate" in his distinctive British accent. They both get a kick out of this and of all the people in the guild, Ryu gets along with him the best.

Hero's Shade

Having the Katana skill is something that Ryu highly respects as it has always been his dream to acquire the skill himself to complete the ninja-esque style he aspires to. He gets along relatively well with the old man and he definitely enjoys conversations about his times in the Iraq war. Though he normally lectures Ryu on the importance of being social, it often falls on selectively deaf ears.

**Notes:**

\- Ryu's real name is Takashi Yuen.

\- Ryu is right handed.

\- Ryu hasn't partnered up with a girl in SAO since his second week of playing. Most of his friends are male so he's used to being a part of the "brotherhood" as they call it. As such, he doesn't have many female friends, even though he's so helpful towards newbies who are girls as well.

\- Ryu is often called a "counterfeit ninja" due to his lack of the katana skill. He hopes that the game will grant his wish one day of acquiring the skill, so he can replace Martial Arts with it. The only reason he picked up Martial Arts is to have a viable way of fighting without a dagger that didn't involve having to manage another weapon.

\- Ryu has a habit of making hand signs, even though ninjutsu doesn't exist in the world of SAO. He also has a habit of shouting in Japanese when he executes some of his Sword Skills.

\- Ryu has been single his entire life, despite being told several times that he's "quite handsome". This is likely due to his detached outlook on women. He doesn't believe a relationship will work between him and a woman unless they share a lot of common interest, especially gaming.

\- Ryu plays an ocarina in real life, making it a natural choice for him in game.

 


End file.
